3,226 Garden Web Discussions | Dahlias
Yes I use a trellis system on my small plot of dahlias because they are in front of my house I don't like the look of a stake garden in MAY and early June. It has worked good for me in the past but huricane irene snapped the wire trellis and i had to improvise some fishing line. I probally got alittle greedy this year with how many i planted in such a small area too. #2 I got allie white from steve Thomas a friend of mine and the dahlia guru at our society. #3 kenora wildfire was easy to grow for me although did not make the same huge flowers I have seen at dahlia shows still and awesome red. I also like drummerboy same red but more decorative.
Hee hee! Thanks, Angela! Today I sprayed mine with neem and tied them up again, before leaving on a 3 week vacation.
I will miss my beauties :-(. Sure hope my pal leaves enough on the plants to blow me away when I come home! She will be cutting and selling them while I am gone.
Carol - A lot of people have trouble with the white Dahias, This is the first year my whites have looked so good. I havent used any poisons, but the pic I posted at this link (at the bottom of the thread) may explain why mine seem bug free this year.
Here is a link that might be useful: White Dahlia Protection
I absolutely love Swan Island's Boogie Nites. Deep dark truest purple with beautiful form. Also, Newaukum Grape, a very nice bb sized true purple that bloom constantly (Lobaugh's Dahlias). I lost Lady Liberty who was my favorite white, but Bowen, a white pom,is real pretty and just starting for me. And I liked Joel Louisa as a white water lily but lost it also last year. I generally avoid whites because of ear wig damage.
Yes, I do love tropical plants and would love to turn my backyard into Hawaii! That pink dahlia is planted with Tropicanna Canna. I also grow bananas, elephant ears, brugs,cannas and have potted bromeliads and palms on my deck and patio. Here are a few pictures of the tropicals.
Abyssinian Banana
Musa Basjoo-kinda small this year, has been much bigger in previous years. And my dog Charlee.
Kai on the patio
Linda
When I lived in the LA area, I left dahlias in the ground, and they came back for several years. Once in a while one would disappear, but they were out front so could have been human animal for all I know. As long as your soil has good enough drainage, then they should be fine and bloom pretty again next year.
A pocket gopher is a gopher that eats roots and stores them in a pocket in his mouth to be deposited in a food cache. Since he is storing food for the winter, he destroys dahlia tubers in the ground. They are very common in the Northwest and in the Bay area.
My Loverboy is about 5 feet tall and currently has 5 flowers out and many more buds getting ready to open. It has perfectly formed flowers that have a lot of depth and I really like the color and form of the flower. Maybe you do have a dud.
I don't give any of my dahlias miracle grow. The only fertilizer they get is some bone meal at planting time and a little more sprinkled on the ground later after they have started growing. They are all blooming like crazy right now. This has been my most successful year for growing dahlias and I think it is because I made a new bed for them which is in full sun all day long and I give them a lot of water pretty much everyday. Some of them started blooming in the last week of July which was very exciting because last year I had some that never bloomed before they got hit with frost.
!. Which of your plants is growing the prettiest flowers?
Brittany Rey and Arabian Night (AN isn't always this pretty, but this summer it has been absolutely stunning)
2. Which of your plants is healthiest?
My un-named semi-cactus that I grew from seed a few years ago and save the tubers from every year
3. Which is the most prolific bloomer?
See #2
4. Which is tallest?
see #2
5. Which is growing the biggest flowers?
Ryn Fou
6. Which plant's flowers lasts the longest in a vase?
Haven't cut any
7. Which dahlia plant grew the fastest?
see #2
8. Which plant started flowering the fastest?
Arabian Night
9. Which do you like the best so far?
That is so difficult...I really loved the bloom on Myrtle's Folly, but it was only one bloom. The plant itself just hasn't done well.
If you leave the dahlias in the ground you always risk loosing them, but For me, after 20 years of raising them, it comes down to two things....do you have good drainage? Do you cover them at least 6" with mulch or soil? I loose a few but probably not as many as when I tried digging and storing.
It is predicted to be as bad a winter as last year or worse. I did loose a few dahlias but not as many as I thought. Some sprouted late, probably a tuber on the bottom of the pile that was protected by the ones above it. Some of those probably won't bloom this year and they are still only about 1-2' tall...but I hope to save them and have them bloom next year.
I wish you good luck with how ever you decide to preserve yours this year!
Thank you lizalily.
If I remove the tubers, how would I store them? Do you place them in a paper bag and store in them in a dark place for the winter? should they be dried out before storing? and when would I plant them again? Please forgive all my questions as this is the first time I've ever planted dahlias? Your help is really appreciated.